


LOVERS AND OTHER MYSTERIES

by saskgirl



Series: A sequel to Renewal [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Action/Adventure, Adventure & Romance, Angst and Humor, F/M, Gen, Murder Mystery, Romance, Sex Talk, Sexual Tension
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-08-03
Updated: 2016-03-06
Packaged: 2018-04-12 20:15:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 14,139
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4493235
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/saskgirl/pseuds/saskgirl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This is a multi-layered action adventure, romance, mystery. Someone out there doesn't want Lucius and Hermione together. They find the 'new order' to be unnatural. They want things the way they were and will do anything to bring that about. In particular, they want Hermione in her place and resent the fame and fortune she's achieved. They're furious with Lucius who they see as letting down the Pureblood world. Will Hermione and Lucius be able to stay together? Who is trying to pull them apart? Can Harry and Ernie solve yet another crime? And what does all this have to do with the murder of the late Narcissa Malfoy many years ago?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. CHAPTER 1

LOVERS & OTHER MYSTERIES  
CHAPTER 1

The December morning dawned bright and beautiful. Crisp layers of new snow had fallen during the night. London awoke to a stunning array of snowbanks, drifts, and icicles. Hermione snuggled inside the warm duvet. She opened her eyes and felt the warmth of a strong masculine arm around her. His legs were intertwined with hers and she could hear him breathing behind her. They lay together in a deep embrace. As she became more aware of her surroundings her stomach churned with anxiety. What is this place?   
With a great effort she managed to disentangle herself and slip out of bed. She gazed down at herself and saw she was naked. She stifled a scream and bounced about the room until she found a loo. As she looked in the mirror she saw nothing out of ordinary. She looked herself and felt herself. But the opulent bathroom with its granite floors and walls, enormous bathtub (more like a small pool), gold and ivory sinks, gold framed mirrors and other strappings of obvious wealth didn’t strike any chord of familiarity. Hermione felt sick. She wanted to vomit. Why was she here? Had she been kidnapped? And then she heard his voice. That voice.   
“Hermione, love, are you going to spend all morning in the loo?”   
She knew that voice. She’d heard it in the Department of Mysteries, in Flourish and Blotts. She hated that voice. How could she be here, in that man’s bathroom naked?   
“Hermione!” He knocked on the door. “Please, love come out.”  
She found a white, Egyptian cotton bath towel and wrapped it tightly around herself and opened the door. There stood Lucius Malfoy naked as the day he was born. Hermione gasped at the sheer beauty of the man’s gorgeous body. Tall, muscular, a six-pack of abs any younger man would die for, long hair flowing about his shoulders, slender legs, and an enormous cock, stiff and ready. He eased toward her with a huge smile.  
“Morning my love. As you can see I’m ready for our morning exercises,” he laughed.   
“Get away from me!” Hermione screamed. She tried to shut the door closed but Lucius held it open.   
“My love, what’s wrong? Are you having an anxiety attack? Do your breathing, sweetheart, it always calms you down.” He kept the door open.  
“For goodness sakes put some clothes on!” she demanded.  
“Fine.” Lucius shrugged and went to grab a nearby robe which was obviously a Muggle style.   
“Why’re you wearing that? Since when do you wear Muggle clothes?”  
“Darling, you bought this for me and what the fuck is going on?” Lucius clearly looked hurt as Hermione kept backing away from him. “This is no ordinary panic attack.”  
“How the hell would you know about my panic attacks? And what the hell am I doing here?” Hermione screeched as if she was in pain.  
“You live here,” Lucius said in the most natural voice.  
Hermione swallowed and blinked hard. “Th…that’s…that’s impossible!”  
Lucius staggered backward. He fell onto the floor his face a mask of pain. Tears pricked at his eyes and his voice hoarse. “Don’t say that.” He dragged himself to his feet and tried once again to move forward but Hermione held a hand up.   
“Stay back. I don’t know what you’ve done to me, probably the Imperious curse if I know you and your Slytherin ways. “What did you do, get me drunk? Hmmmm? How did you manage it Mr. Malfoy?”  
“M…m….m…Mr. Malfoy? My love, you know I’d never do such a thing. What’s happened to you?” He sagged against the door frame within arm’s reach of Hermione.  
“Get out of my way so I can get my clothes,” she yelled.  
Lucius complied and watched in agony as Hermione shed the towel and dressed faster than he’d ever seen before. “P…p…please darling don’t leave like this. There’s got to be an explanation.”  
Hermione ran out of their bedroom and down the stairs with Lucius on the run behind her. “Hermione please!” Lucius pleaded as he ran.   
“Stay away from me!” She found the front door and opened it. “I don’t know how you managed this but I can assure you I’ll have you arrested and thrown into Azkaban prison for kidnapping and rape!” She ran out and the door slammed shut in Lucius’ face.  
He leaned against the door of their home and sobbed. “Nooooooooo,” he cried. “This can’t be happening!” Lucius staggered to the living room chesterfield and lay down. He curled up into a ball and cried harder than he’d ever cried before.


	2. CHAPTER 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A lot happens in this chapter. We learn a bit about what happened to Hermione but not who attacked her. The why is still up for discovery. Lucius is bereft and seeks the help of Aurors Harry Potter and Ernie McMillan. The story also reveals a new deadly group of witches and wizards mucking about in good old England yet again. Are they behind what happened to Hermione? They might be. Harry has a hunch, Lucius is devastated at the loss of his love, Horace Slughorn acts weird, and Sierra reappears as a good friend. Please review!

Lovers and Other Mysteries  
Chapter 2  
The two people who sat together in the Muggle café couldn’t have been more out of place if they’d tried. Everything about them screamed ‘weird’ yet the two of them had no idea just how strange they appeared to the rest of the customers. In a ridiculous moment they’d even tried to order butterbeer, completely unaware that this was a wizard concoction and unknown to anyone in the Muggle world except those related to Muggleborn witches and wizards. They went about their business totally oblivious to those staring and laughing at them.  
“I don’t want anyone killed,” he said in a hoarse whisper. “I couldn’t stand for something like that.” He sipped his tea and stared at his female companion, a woman he couldn’t have imagined he’d have anything to do with less than a few weeks ago.  
“Oh, I quite agree,” she said in a rather authoritative but smug voice. “Killing people is out of the question. “We’ve lost enough magical blood these past few years. But, we need to educate our people as to how dangerous these new changes are. I mean for there to be laws regarding how we treat people, and how we treat creatures is absolutely ridiculous. Wouldn’t you agree?”  
“I don’t mind the laws about creatures,” he said in a voice that revealed just how intimidated he was by the woman. “And it’s not really the laws or regulations that bother me in general. It’s just that things have gone too far. Purebloods living with Muggleborns and people like us who’ve served our community for decades are being thrown out of our jobs!”  
“Have you actually lost your job then?” She sounded genuinely concerned.  
“No. But the signs are there. They’re interviewing several much younger witches and wizards, and I know for a fact most of them are Muggleborns.”  
“That’s what I mean. Things are going too far. And I quite agree with you about this relationship issue. That’s outrageous. We must put a stop to this. In any case, I have a few other associates I need to meet with today. So, I’ll have to take my leave. You’ll take care of payment won’t you?” She didn’t wait for an answer but strode out quickly.  
“I guess so,” he said in a rather maudlin voice.  
#  
Lucius sat and stared at a cold cup of tea.  
Draco draped an arm around his father. “I can’t stand seeing you like this,” he said in the kindest tone he could conjure up in the moment. “You’ve stared at that cup of tea for the last hour.”  
“Where do you think she’s gone?” Lucius asked for about the hundredth time.  
“I don’t know. I wish I did. This is all really strange. Obviously someone obliviated Hermione’s memories of your relationship. She was too in love with you to simply wake up one day and decide she didn’t want to be with you. Makes no sense.” He leaned his head onto his palm.  
“I’ve got it,” Lucius said. “Why didn’t I think of this before? I’ll contact Harry.” He ran to his office and picked up the small mobile phone Hermione had purchased for him. But, Draco ran after him.  
“Wait! What’re you doing?”  
Lucius whipped around. “I’m calling Harry.”  
Draco shook his head. “I don’t think that’s such a good idea.”  
“Why not?” Lucius looked genuinely shocked.  
“Because they’re very good friends that’s why. It could become really uncomfortable for him getting involved in the middle of a relationship problem.”  
“Draco, this+- isn’t a relationship problem. Someone’s done something to Hermione. Harry’s the Head Auror and I mean to involve him.” He ignored Draco’s dire warning and dialed Harry. “Oh, Harry so glad I reached you.” He still spoke way too loudly as if he had to yell for Harry to hear him.  
“Yes, Lucius, I can hear you. What’s the matter?”  
“Something terrible has happened to Hermione. She woke up this morning with absolutely no memory of our relationship. She told me she was going to have me charged with kidnapping and rape!”  
“What?” This time Harry yelled. “That’s outrageous. Where’s she now?”  
“That’s just the problem. I don’t know. She ran out the front door and now she’s gone. I thought she might’ve gone to you.”  
“No. I haven’t seen her.” Harry sounded genuinely worried. “Glad you called me though. I’ll be right over. Open the floo please.”  
“Of course.”  
Moments later Harry stepped through accompanied by Ernie McMillan.  
#  
Hermione sat on the edge of the bed at St. Mungo’s while the Healer looked her over. “It’s good you came here,” Healer Thomas said. Alvira Thomas had been examining Hermione for several hours. “I can see that memories have been wiped out, some have been moved around, and others seem to have been altered. But, whoever did this was very sloppy and not very good at what they were doing.” She huffed as she spoke and her already red face turned crimson as she spoke. Alvira pushed her spectacles back up and finally stepped back. “This is damn unusual and horrifying if you ask me!”  
“Why would someone want to obliviate me? And why only certain memories but not others?” Hermione twisted her hands together worried that she might not be able to work as a Healer ever again.  
“That’s for the Aurors to find out.” Alvira said in a hushed tone.  
“Will you be able to restore them?” Hermione sounded scared and small.  
“I think so. I hope so. But, it will take time. I can’t restore memories simply by pointing my wand at you and uttering spells.”  
“But, I’ll get better won’t I?” Hermione’s small voice echoed in the room.  
“Goodness, for a young woman who’s a trained healer you have a surprisingly negative attitude,” Alvira snapped. “Perhaps you can learn something from your patients. I have. We all experience difficult times, Hermione. This is going to be a challenge for you. It’s how you deal with it that matters. You should’ve learned that in your training. My goodness, you and your friends faced that nasty wizard and still came out okay. Get a hold of yourself! Now then, let’s begin the treatment.”  
As she raised her wand Sierra Manefield walked in. “Hermione, how’re you doing?”  
Hermione smiled for the first time in hours. The two friends hugged.  
“Ms. Manefield I’m treating Ms. Granger,” Alvira said.  
“Nope.” Sierra shook her head. “Healer Percy said he’ll do the treatments himself. He’s our memory expert after all.”  
Alvira opened and shut her mouth. “Is he? Well, I’ll go have a talk with him.” She walked out in a huff leaving the friends alone.  
Hermione laid back on the pillows. A sick feeling filled her stomach. How could she be so frightened after all she’d been through? Tears welled up in her eyes but she rubbed them away. She blinked hard when a kind, familiar face poked through the curtain.  
“Hey there,” Sierra smiled. “How’re you doing?” She came in, sat down, and took Hermione’s hand.  
“Well, other than the fact that some of my memories have been obliviated, apparently I’m alright. The healer just told me off and said I worry too much.” She bit her bottom lip and tried to turn away.  
Sierra would have none of it. She gently turned Hermione’s head back to face her. “Who? Which healer said that?”  
“Alvira did.”  
“Ugh, that bitch? I can’t stand her. Patients complain about her all the time and so do a number of the healers. Can’t stand her.” Sierra smiled. “She’s a witch and I don’t mean in the good way. Besides, Percy is the best and he’ll help you, I’m sure of it.”  
Hermione laughed. As she sat back, Hermione’s face turned serious again. “But who would want to take my memories? I don’t get that.”  
“Well, if they’ve taken specific memories it’s obvious. Someone doesn’t want you and Lucius together. I mean, think of it. He’s from one of the oldest pureblood families in England, possibly in the world. And, he’s rich beyond belief. I heard he’s a billionaire – maybe the richest in Europe. I can think of a few people who wouldn’t a Muggleborn witch with him; probably a bunch of snooty purebloods, if you ask me.”  
“Wh…what did you say about billionaire?” Hermione’s eyes grew wide.  
“Yeah. Billionaire. What did you think?” Sierra winked.  
“I knew he was wealthy but not that.” Hermione’s mouth formed a thin, hard line. “You’re right. There’s probably a ton of people who think I’m after him for his money.”  
“Exactly, when the truth is you’re just after that glorious muscular ass of his,” Sierra laughed.  
“Stop it!” Hermione swatted her friend’s arm.  
“Let’s face it. He’s gorgeous and he’s yours!”  
“But I’ve got no recollection of that,” Hermione practically whined.  
“Oh, I’m sure he’ll be happy to re-acquaint you with his hard, you know what!”  
“Sierra!” Hermione tried to sound angry but couldn’t manage it and the two broke out into wild laughter.  
#  
As Harry and Ernie stepped through into Lucius’ living room, Lucius and Draco moved to embrace them.  
“Thank you so much for coming,” Lucius said with a huge sigh of relief.  
“No problem,” Harry said. “I’ll do anything to help Hermione, you know that. But what’s happened exactly?”  
“I woke up this morning to find her in the bathroom in a state of complete panic. She said she had no recollection of living here and was furious with me for kidnapping her. I tried to talk her down but she grabbed her clothes and ran out saying she would have me charged.” Lucius flopped down into a chair and he showed no shame when tears ran down his cheeks. “I love her so much, I can’t bear it,” he whispered.  
Harry moved a chair to sit beside him. “Lucius, we’re going to figure this out. I bet you any money she’s at St. Mungo’s right now. After all, she’s a trained healer and I know Hermione. That’s the first place she’d think of.”  
Lucius’ head snapped up and he focused hard on the young Auror. “You’re so right!” he screamed. “Why didn’t I think of that? We need to go right away.” He bounded out of his chair and headed straight for the fireplace.  
“Just a minute,” Harry said. “Let’s talk this through. She doesn’t know she’s in love with you and thinks you’re out to hurt her. If you run into her you could cause her to panic even harder!”  
“Harry’s quite right,” Ernie said in an unusually compassionate tone. “We should go to St. Mungo’s and ask if she’s there and then decide how to approach her.”  
Lucius crossed his arms over his chest. His voice sounded low and sad. “Yes, I…I…guess you’re right. I just want to take her in my arms and tell her it’s going to be okay.” He sat back down looking hurt and dejected.  
“Lucius, I’m telling you we’re going to sort this out. Let’s just take it one step at a time. Please, trust me.” Harry’s eyes implored Lucius to take him seriously.  
The proud, pureblood wizard stood up and grabbed Harry in a fierce hug. “I wish your parents were alive, Harry. They’d be so proud of the man you’ve become. Of course I trust you. I’ll follow your lead.”  
Harry smiled, slapped Lucius on the shoulder and led the other three men into the fireplace.  
#  
Sierra sat by Hermione’s side as her friend fell into a fitful sleep. She knew how much Hermione loved Lucius. At least, the Hermione who had been. The young healer wondered who would want to hurt her friend, and irrespective of her earlier bravado, she couldn’t think of one person who’d want to harm Hermione Granger. As she sat with her friend a familiar face poked through the curtains.  
“Hi Harry, “ she said.  
“Can I come through?”  
Sierra nodded and Harry took his place by Hermione’s side. “At least she’s resting. How is she? What have the healers said?”  
“Well, from what I’ve heard, it’s highly selective memory loss – just her relationship with Lucius.”  
Harry shook his head and ran his hand through his hair. The eyes behind the familiar round spectacles narrowed. He exhaled several deep sighs. “This might be the work of those nutcases we’ve been hearing about,” he mused as if to himself. He was shocked to hear Sierra respond.  
“What nutcases?”  
“Oh. I’m really not sure if it’s the case but there’ve been rumours about a group of discontents from the war who call themselves The Restorationists. Apparently, they’re particularly angry with Lucius for having changed sides during the war. They consider him the height of pureblood wizardry.”  
“Ugh! Not that old shit again!” Sierra spat.  
“Yup, that old shit!” Harry strode around to the other side of the bed and laid a hand on Sierra’s shoulder. “Good that you’re here. I’m glad she has you.”  
“Thanks!” Sierra beamed. “I love Hermione. She’s a great friend and I know how much she loved Lucius. How’s he taking this?”  
“Oh, he’s absolutely devastated. He can’t stand the fact that I won’t let him rush to her side. But, I think if she wakes up and sees him she’ll panic again. What do you think?”  
“Hmmmm. Hard to say. She’s aware now that they were together and someone has taken that away from her. So, I don’t think she’d be in as much shock but we should ask her first.”  
Harry nodded in agreement. “I’ll go tell him. I guess we’ll take this one step at a time.” He turned to walk out when Sierra tugged at his arm.  
“Harry, just how dangerous are these Restorationists?” Her voice quivered just a bit.  
Harry shook his head. “We don’t know. We’re just learning about them in the last few weeks. We’re not even sure how many of them there are. I was just guessing out loud.” With that he turned and walked out.  
Sierra turned her attention back to her friend. “I don’t care who the hell they are. I won’t let them hurt you again.” She laid her head on Hermione’s arm.  
#  
Horace Slughorn shuffled slowly into the rotunda of St. Mungo’s. As he did, he caught Lucius’s attention.  
“Professor Slughorn, what brings you here?” Lucius’ voice boomed out in the open area.  
Slughorn whipped around shocked to see the wizard with whom he’d recently shared a rather nasty argument. “Oh, Lucius, I’m…uh…I’m…uh… here to see Miss Granger. I heard she had a nasty attack. I wanted to know if she was alright.” Horace offered Lucius a rather slick if disingenuous smirk.  
“Is that so?” Lucius towered over the elderly professor hands on his strong hips, and his jaw set in a firm line. “That’s odd. It only happened this morning and no one in the hospital would’ve sent that information out. How did you hear of this?” He turned around and silently indicated to Draco to come to his side.  
“Hello Professor,” Draco said in an obviously unfriendly voice.  
“Draco, how are you?” Slughorn desperately tried to change the tone of the conversation. “Nice to see you out and about considering…”  
Draco quickly cut him off. “I recovered a long time ago…professor.” He spoke the last word as if it was a nasty curse.  
Horace blinked hard and shuffled from one foot to the other. He looked about as if he wanted to run and hide in the first nook he could find. “I….uh…should go and…”  
Lucius whipped out his wand. Draco did the same. “You haven’t explained how you know Hermione’s here,” Lucius spoke with a fury in his voice his son hadn’t heard since the war.  
“You’d pull your wand on me?” Horace shrieked.  
Several healers and nurses came running. “What’s going on here?” Healer Percy, the head of emergency medicine spoke first. A short man with white hair and a trimmed beard, Percy had a soft, gentle voice but knew when to be more authoritative.  
“They pulled their wands out,” Horace cried. “I haven’t done anything.” He held his arms out in a gesture of total surrender.  
Lucius shook his head impatiently. “He came here to see Hermione Granger, but won’t say how he knew to come see her. That’s a private matter and it isn’t public knowledge.”  
Now, all eyes were on Horace who gave them a sheepish expression which failed to impress.  
“How did you know Ms. Granger was here?” Percy asked still in a calm voice.  
Horace shrugged. “Her healer Alvira owled me,” he finally admitted as his body shrank a bit and his face sagged.  
Percy huffed. “Did she? Well, I’ll be having a few words with her about patient confidentiality. In the meantime, Mr. Slughorn, you’ll come with me as this is most irregular. And as for Lucius and Draco pulling their wands out, all I can say is good for them!” He turned on his heels and gave every indication that Slughorn was to follow.  
“What’s going on?” Draco asked after the situation calmed down.  
“I don’t know,” Lucius said in a tone that spoke of his complete displeasure. “But you can be sure I’m going to find out.”  
#  
Healer Alvira sat in the uncomfortable wooden chair in a Muggle café as she was directed to by the witch who’d contacted her. She looked around and realized that everyone was staring at her. She drank her coffee and fiddled with her purse. Her wand was up one sleeve and her eyes closed with a calm certainty as she felt it there. A few minutes later, a woman sat down opposite her. They’d never met but she knew the witch’s identity immediately.  
“Now then, Alvira, I understand you tended to Hermione Granger today. How did it go?”  
“Not well,” Alvira hissed. “That stupid Horace Slughorn showed up in the hospital to check on her and me. I had to run out of there as fast as I could. They’re looking for me!”  
“Calm yourself,” the other witch warned. “This is no place to make a scene.”  
“Fine,” Alvira snapped. “I want what you promised me – 500 galleons and I want it now!” She held her hand out as if she expected the gold to slip into her greedy fingers.”  
The other witch offered a slick smile. “Really? You want your money? But you didn’t complete the job.”  
“I would’ve if that stupid Sierra Manefield hadn’t showed up. Stupid girl got in the way.”  
“You should’ve taken care of her too. Obviously you don’t have the stomach for it.”  
“How dare you talk to me like that? In any case, I want my money.” She held out her hand again but nothing happened.  
“Not in here,” the other witch whispered. “Let’s go outside. Follow me.”  
“Fine.”  
The two witches walked side by side until they came to a quiet side street. Alvira followed the other witch into a deserted laneway. “Well? Give me my money!” Alvira demanded again.  
“Of course.” The other witch whipped out her wand too fast for Alvira to react. “Avada Kadavra,” she said in a confident tone.  
Alvira fell dead onto the cement whereupon the other witch walked off. “I’m not paying 500 galleons for an unfinished job,” she said to herself. “I’ll just have to do it myself.” As she walked away the snow began to fall again onto the London streets. Quiet and beautiful millions of snowflakes covered the walks, parks, buildings and people as the deadly witch walked among them completely unnoticed.


	3. CHAPTER 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter Lucius and Hermione finally see each other. Ginny goes into labour, Ron and Pansy make an appearance, and there's some scheming going on that lets us knowmore about the agenda of these Restorationists.

Lovers and Other Mysteries Chapter 3  
“I don’t know anything,” Horace swallowed several times. “May I please have a glass of water for goodness sakes? I’m an old man!”  
Harry nodded. “You are at that. But don’t try the innocent act with me Professor. I know you too well. I’ll never forget catching you stealing those cuttings out of the herbology stores at Hogwart’s, or the fact that you altered those memories of you and Riddle from years ago. Do you realize the damage you caused by giving him that information about horcruxes? He might never have learned about them if not for you.”  
Slughorn cringed at Harry’s tirade. “I’m sorry,” he moaned. “But you have no idea what he was like, even then he…”  
Ernie cut in with a sharp tongue even Harry had never heard. “You bastard! How can you sit there and look at Harry and say that when you know what that evil horror did to our world? For fuck’s sakes he murdered Harry’s parents. You’ve got some nerve.” He waved his wand in Horace’s face but Harry pushed him off.  
“He knows.” Harry suddenly sounded eerily calm. “And I’ll wager you know more than you’re saying about what’s happened to Hermione. It’s best if you come clean Professor, and the sooner the better. It’ll go easier on you. Frankly, I don’t want to throw you in prison given your age and all.” Harry didn’t look at Horace as he spoke. Instead he paced back and forth in the small interview room and let Horace sweat it out. “But know this,” he said. Suddenly he strode over and stood nose to nose with the elderly professor. “If I find out you knew anything about who did this to Hermione I’ll see you get the Dementor’s kiss and I won’t think twice to do it. Think about that.”  
“It wasn’t me!” Slughorn screeched. “It wasn’t me. I didn’t do anything. Alvira and I have been…sort of… dating.” He hung his head.  
“You were dating that shrew?” Ernie laughed in spite of it all.  
Horace nodded. “Yes. We were. She owled me just as I said, and told me Hermione Granger was in the hospital. So I came to see if she was okay.”  
“Do you know that she’s gone missing?” Harry threw that out to see Horace react.  
“What?” Horace jumped out of his chair. “Missing? How? When?”  
Harry gently pushed him back. A few hours ago.” Harry blew out hair and silently indicated to Ernie it was time for a break. “Why don’t you rest for a bit Horace? We’ll be back soon.” They walked out before Horace could say a word.  
“He knows something but he’s terrified,” Harry said sullenly.  
“I agree,” Ernie said. “But we have to be careful. He’s an old man.”  
“An old man with a big mouth who loves the spotlight. You know what Ernie? I’ve got a hunch. Follow my lead.”  
Harry turned back and went into the small interview with Ernie following close behind.  
#  
The young woman stood wringing her hands and trying not to look at the dead woman in the laneway. A group of police stood around her, and several cruisers were parked close by.  
“So you just came across her like that?” one policewoman asked.  
“Yeah. Just like I said. I was checking my emails and I smelled something funny. Thought it was garbage and I looked to my left and screamed my head off.”  
“Never seen her before?”  
“No. Never.”  
“Don’t know who she is?”  
“No.”  
“Hmmmm. Well. We need your address and phone number and don’t go too far. We’ve got more questions.”  
The policewoman and one of her male colleagues went and stood over the dead woman’s body. “Mighty strange,” she said. “There’s no sign of trauma. No bleeding. There’s no sign of anything wrong. She just dropped dead.”  
“Who just drops dead?” he asked.  
“She did.”  
#  
“Professsor Slughorn, how long were you and Alvira dating?” Harry asked.  
“About two months. Can I please go soon? I’m very tired.”  
“Sure. Soon.” Harry knew he was lying and Ernie knew it too. “Did she ever speak of anything that might have sounded unusual?”  
“No,” Horace lied.  
“Nothing?” Ernie pressed.  
“No.”  
“Hmmmm. That’s odd. Because now she’s missing and well, you’re the only connection we have to her. And, since you were dating her well that kind of makes you an accessory to the situation.” Harry knew he wasn’t being completely honest but hoped Horace wouldn’t catch on.  
“H…h… How?” Horace stammered as he gulped more water, his eyes round like saucers and focused on Harry.  
“Anyone who has information of a possible crime can be considered an accessory,” Ernie chimed in, fully aware now of where Harry was headed with their interrogation.  
Just as Harry was about to follow up a Ministry messenger girl knocked on the door. She entered quickly, handed Harry a note and left. Harry and Ernie read the note together.  
“Well, now, professor, it looks like this situation is more serious than we thought.” Harry kept his voice calm and quiet, but never took his eyes off Slughorn.  
“Wh…wh…what do you mean?” Horace continued to whine like a first year student in one of Snape’s potion classes.  
“Alvira Thomas is dead,” Harry said in a voice full of insinuations.  
Horace Slughorn fainted and slumped over the table as the water spilled down his trousers.  
“That seems fitting,” Ernie said with a sly smile.  
#  
Lucius walked tentatively into Hermione’s room and found her sitting up in bed reading. He smiled at the memory of how many times the two of them had read side by side, or how he loved to watch her read when he thought she wasn’t looking. A bouquet of soft pink roses in his hands he nodded and smiled as he walked towards her. Hermione looked up, laid down the book and tried to keep breathing. Dressed in a grey cashmere sweater and navy blue wool slacks Lucius’s tall, handsome frame could put even the biggest film star to shame.  
“May I?” He nodded at the chair near her bed.  
“Of course,” Hermione said completely aware of the tremble in her voice.  
Lucius put the perfectly formed roses and their glass vase on her bedside table. His hands shook. “You know, I haven’t been this nervous since my wedding night,” he laughed.  
Hermione laughed in spite of herself. “I’m making you nervous?” She tugged at the bed sheets.  
Lucius sat down and rubbed his hands together. He smoothed out his trousers, and pulled his sleeves up to his elbows. “Well, it seems…we…uh…have a few things to discuss,” he spoke with a hopeful smile on his face. “I’m so sorry this has happened to you my love,” his voice broke. The wizard who once never displayed an ounce of emotion for anyone or anything, broke down and sobbed. “My sweet love,” he cried through his tears. “I don’t know who has taken you from me, but I c…c…can’t let y…you…g…go. I love you too much.” He laid his head down on Hermione’s shoulder.  
Although she still had no memories of their time together, Hermione couldn’t help but be touched by the once haughty wizard’s emotional plea for their love. She laid her head down on his. “I don’t know either but we’ll figure it out. “  
Their heads rose almost in tandem. “I’ve been thinking that the best thing to do would be to look at your memories,” Hermione said quietly.  
Lucius nodded. “I’ve been thinking the same. It might take weeks or months to restore those memories but you can see mine right now. That way you’ll know how much we mean to each other.” He slowly took Hermione’s small hand into his own, raised it to his lips and grazed it with a soft kiss. “I love you beyond measure,” he whispered. “You’re my future and I’m yours. I won’t allow anyone to take that from us.”  
Hermione nodded. “Alright. Let’s see those memories.” She smiled and touched Lucius’ cheek. Hermione didn’t know why or how, but in that moment she knew that Lucius could or would never harm her.  
#  
Ron, George, Pansy, Molly, Percy and Arthur ran down the hallway of St. Mungo’s at a wild pace. Their heads bobbed and hair flew about their heads wildly. Molly took the lead and somehow outran them all. In the last year, Molly had lost two stone under Ginny’s gentle direction. Fitter and thinner, she dove down the hallway screeching at the top of her lungs. “Where’s my baby girl? Where is she?” Molly began to open doors to every room she could reach until a healer by the name of Cherylynn Hope caught and stopped her.  
“Mrs. Weasley, your daughter is on the obstetrics ward. That’s two floors up. I would think you would know that by now given how many times you’ve been there yourself.”  
Molly stopped and exhaled several deep breaths. “You’re right, of course.” The Weasleys along with Pansy followed the healer to the obstetrics ward and found Ginny in the early stages of labour.  
As usual, Ginny was in good spirits and taking it all in her stride. “Well, thank goodness someone decided to show up even if it isn’t my husband,” she laughed.  
“Merlin’s beard, where’s Harry?” Arthur asked spinning around as if he expected to see his son-in-laws behind him.  
“He’s interrogating Slughorn with Ernie,” Ginny said as if it was the most natural thing in the world. “I called him on that mobile phone Hermione bought me and he said he’ll be here soon as he can.”  
“Soon as he can?” Ron shrieked.  
Pansy laughed, already accustomed to Ron’s occasional outbursts.  
“He should be here now,” Ron said in his most demanding voice.  
“He is.”  
The family turned around and this time Harry was there. He quickly strode to his wife’s side. “Alright there, Mrs. Potter?”  
“Fine, Mr. Potter. Good of you to show up and…ahhhhhhhhhhh! Holy shit! That was a bloody hard contraction.”  
Harry draped an arm around Ginny’s shoulders. “Shall we do that Lamaze breathing we learned?”  
Ginny nodded and complied.  
Molly and the rest of the gang watched curiously as Harry and Ginny did some odd breathing technique. “What the hell does breathing have to do with having a baby?” Molly turned to Arthur who merely shrugged his shoulders.  
“It’s a well-known Muggle technique to help the woman relax into the contractions,” Harry said as Ginny continued with her breathing.  
Even with the simple explanation it was clear Molly and the others just had no idea what was going on but knew better than to question Ginny especially when she was in labour.  
#  
Lucius carefully put his wand to his temple and withdrew several silver, liquid strands. He dropped them into the pensieve as he and Hermione dipped their heads inside. Hermione felt a tug at the back of her head and stared in wonder as she and Lucius danced at the Ministry ball, shared their first kiss, went for long walks hand in hand, made love for the first time and many times after that, cooked dinners together, read books and engaged in long, warm, intimate conversations. After almost two hours of sharing Lucius’ memories the two eased their heads out of the pensieve with tear-streaked faces. But, it was Hermione who spoke first in a voice filled with anger and frustration.  
“How could someone take that away from me? Why?” Palms over her eyes she sobbed and Lucius held her as tightly as he dared. Guided by her instincts Hermione grabbed onto him and laid her head on his muscular chest. The older wizard felt familiar and comfortable. Being with him felt right. In that moment, it was the only truth she knew.  
#  
Five hours after her first contraction, Ginny Potter gave birth to a second boy. The Weasley gang had finally left so Harry and Ginny could hold and cherish their new baby in private.  
Down in the cafeteria Pansy and Ron sat together. Ron watched Pansy who remained quiet and pensive. “What’s on your mind?” he finally asked as he stuffed another cinnamon roll into his mouth.  
“Family,” she finally said in a voice so quiet Ron had to lean in to hear her. “I was an only child as many pureblood children are. I think that’s really sad. I want a family like yours, a bunch of children all making a ton of noise and having fun together.” She took of Ron’s hands. “I think you know where I’m going with this.”  
Ron finally knew when to put his food down. “Yeah, I do. And, I want that too. Only, I never thought it would be with you!” He laughed so hard a few crumbs spilled out of his mouth. “Oooops. Sorry ‘bout that.”  
Pansy laughed too. “No worries. It’s funny how things turn out sometimes. All through school we hated each other. Now, I can’t imagine a day without you. Lucius and Hermione Granger are together! It’s all turned around on its head somehow. I used to watch you and your brothers and Ginny, and I thought you were so noisy, and rude and….now I want that.” Pansy closed her eyes as if she was dreaming. “I can just see us with a whole bunch of kids.”  
Ron broke into a huge smile and took both of Pansy’s hands. “Well then, Ms. Parkinson, will you marry me and have that huge family together?”  
Pansy let loose with a wild laugh. “We’re getting engaged here? In the cafeteria? Yes! I’ll marry you.”  
The two jumped up and embraced. Ron kissed Pansy passionately as the rest of the Weasleys began shouting and applauding. Soon they were one big group hug and Pansy knew she’d never been happier in her entire life.  
#  
The two witches hated each other. They always had. There had never been a nice word between them but recent circumstances had thrown them together. One appeared short and dowdy. The other was tall and statuesque. They were opposites in every way. One was smug, rude and arrogant. The other spoke in eloquent tones, with an educated, elegant manner. The Muggle restaurant provided an excellent cover and they did their best to blend in.  
“I understand Alvira’s no longer with us,” the tall witch said almost as if the woman had gone on a holiday instead of being murdered in an alley.  
“Unfortunate circumstances,” the pudgy witch said as she sipped her tea.  
“I thought we had agreed we would keep these kinds of incidents to a minimum. Besides, she worked in St. Mungo’s and was of some assistance to us.”

“I made a decision in that moment because she had proven herself too weak to carry out her task. And, she contacted Horace Slughorn who’s now in the custody of the Aurors.”  
“I see. Next time you’ll ask me first. My money funds this organization and I’m in charge. Do I make myself clear?” The venom in her eyes told the fat witch that her colleague meant business.  
“Completely. It won’t happen again.” She continued sipping her tea and steadied her hand as best she could.  
“You’re damn right it won’t. Now then, you get that idiotic professor under control. Or there will have to be another unscheduled death in our ranks.”  
“Of course,” the other witch inclined her head in a gesture of compliance.  
“I also hear Lucius has gone to St. Mungo’s to retrieve his mudblood. That filthy little bitch has infiltrated the purest and wealthiest family in all of wizarding Europe. We can’t have that. Haven’t I made myself clear on this?”  
“Yes indeed. I honestly believed the person I sent could do the job. Her memories were erased. I didn’t count on Lucius being so attached to that…that…that little whore.”  
“Hmmmmm. Yes, he’s become an enormous liability. But, we can’t afford to lose him either. Perhaps if we work on the boy?”  
“The boy?” the other witch honestly didn’t catch on.  
“Oh for goodness sakes, don’t be so stupid. His son. Draco.”  
“Yes, yes, Draco. He’s definitely vulnerable. I hear he’s living at the mudblood’s old cottage and he’s all alone. No girlfriend.”  
“Yes, we’ve lost the Parkinson girl to that Weasley idiot.” At that the witch slammed her fist on the table. “These are unacceptable losses.”  
“We’ll make other gains,” the short witch said in a voice which lacked real assurance.  
“Without the Malfoys we’re nothing. We need them. We need their money. I can’t bear the thought that his little filthy whore might breed with him and bear him children. She would get everything!”  
“We mustn’t let that happen,” the dodgy witch said as she poured another spoonful of sugar into her tea.  
The elegant witch rose and gathered an expensive wool coat about her shoulders. A diamond bracelet clinked with a gold watch studded with sapphires which she made certain to show off as she stood. “I hope you’ll be more effective in the future. I’ll be in touch.” She walked out with a quiet grace.  
The remaining witch sat in her seat and finished her tea. Every fibre in her body wanted to snap out her wand and yell “Avada Kadavra” at every Muggle in the café. Instead, she pulled out a few Muggle coins and left a meagre tip for the tea and scones. She pursed her lips, pulled on her coat and went out into the cool London streets. She’d made a terrible mistake murdering that healer. Her temper had taken control of her as it often did. Puffs of cold air pooled around her as she breathed hard. Another mistake like that and it would be her dead body in the laneway. There was some strategizing necessary now in order to recoup the loss.


	4. CHAPTER 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hermione begins treatment to restore her memories while Lucius stays close and supportive. Harry and Ernie begin to make headway in their case. Horace Slughorn is in for the shock of his life and he ends up in a rendezvous with an unexpected woman.

Lovers and Other Mysteries Chapter 4  
Lucius and Hermione sat holding hands inside her room at St. Mungo’s. As they did, Harry popped his head in. “It’s a boy!” he shouted with glee. “Ginny just gave birth to another boy. Shit, I can’t believe. We’re parents of two kids now.”  
“Oh Harry that’s wonderful.” Hermione spread her arms out and Harry accepted a warm hug.   
“Congratulations Harry,” Lucius said kindly although he could feel his envy rising through his desire to have a family with Hermione.   
“Thanks. I gotta get back. But I wanted to check in and see how you’re doing.”  
“Much better,” Hermione said although there was still a tentative tone in her voice. “I’ve seen Lucius’ memories and I know what we had together.”  
“We’ll figure this out. You’ll see. But I gotta run. Talk soon.” With that he dashed out of the room and down the hall.   
“Harry a father of two sons!” Hermione shook her head. “I’m so happy for him. All he’s ever wanted was a real family of his own.”   
Lucius looked downcast and spoke in a wistful voice. “Me too. But pureblood families have done so much in-breeding it’s a miracle we have any children at all.”  
Hermione saw the pain in Lucius’ eyes and realized how much she too wanted a family. “For what it’s worth, I know what it’s like to be an only child. I wouldn’t want that for my children.” She squeezed his hand and their foreheads touched.   
“Glad to hear it,” he said.   
#  
Ernie sat with Horace Slughorn in the interview room. After several hours of rest Horace was no more cooperative than he’d been before and furious he hadn’t been released. “I demand that you let me go,” he said with obvious resentment. “I’ve done nothing wrong.”  
“You know, professor, I’m not as accommodating as Auror Potter. So, you can cut out the “poor me” routine. We know you had a relationship with Alvira Thomas. You may have been the last person to speak with her. And, that makes you a person of interest in her murder.”  
“Murder?” Horace shrieked. “I thought you said she died.”  
“Yes, we did. Death and murder usually go together,” Ernie said, clearly annoyed with Horace. “Now then, what can you tell us about Ms. Thomas? Was she involved in some kind of nefarious dealings? Who would want to murder her and don’t start crying again Slughorn, it won’t work. As it stands right now, I can arrest you on charges of obstructing justice. I can’t imagine you cherish the thought of time in Azkaban at your age.”  
The image of the stone fortress broke Horace. “Alright. Alright. I’ll tell you what I know even though it’s not much. I know she lived beyond her means. Her mother was a pureblood witch from Germany, and her father a half blood from England. Apparently, her mother loved expensive things – clothes, perfumes, and jewellery. Alvira learned to love them too. She made good money as a healer but she wanted things she couldn’t afford. She was married once many years ago. But, the fellow left her for a younger, more attractive Muggle woman. She became incensed by the betrayal and determined to have what she wanted.”  
“And, what did she want?” Ernie asked earnestly hopeful that Horace would finally spill out all he knew.   
“Things. Like her mother had. Fur coats. Diamond earrings. Expensive holidays. Beautiful clothes. No matter how much she earned, she spent more. When we began dating I urged her to be more frugal, but she said she had it all worked out. She was going to make a ton of galleons doing some work on the side.” Horace shrugged.   
“What kind of work?” Ernie pressed the old wizard.  
“I honestly don’t know,” Horace groaned. “Please, I’ve told you everything. Now, let me go!”  
As Horace begged yet again for his release Ernie knew there was another way. “You’re right, he said. “I believe you’ve given us everything you know. We appreciate that.” He stepped over and opened the door. “You’re free to go now Professor Slughorn.”  
In his desire to flee Horace didn’t question the young Auror’s motives and bolted out the door.   
Ernie watched him go and beckoned two security guards with a hand wave. “Follow him,” he ordered. “Don’t let him out of your sight.  
“Yes sir,” they said in tandem.  
“Oh yes, professor, we’re going to learn everything.” Ernie nodded his head. He turned on his heels and headed toward the coroner’s office to have a conversation with Luna Lovegod.  
#  
Ernie sauntered down the corridor towards Luna’s lab. As he opened the doors he saw her long blonde locks tied up in various knots and her face scrunched up close to a dead woman’s body.   
“Hello Ernie,” she said without moving or looking at him.  
“Damn! How do you do that?” He grabbed a face mask and moved closer.  
“Do what?” she asked. “This is Alvira Thomas, but you probably knew that already.”  
“So, how did she die?”  
“Oh, someone used the Avada curse on her. I can always tell by the blank look in their eyes and the only other trauma is to the back of her head from her fall onto the cement.” Luna straightened up and smiled.   
“Then, some witch or wizard uttered the death curse and dropped her in a laneway, or that’s where she fell?”  
“She died in the laneway.” Luna pulled off her examination gloves and pointed to her office. “Come, let’s talk.”  
The two sat down in her small but efficient office. Ernie couldn’t help but notice how neat and organized everything was. For some reason, he thought her office would have been a holy mess.  
“Those are great bookshelves you’ve got; all nicely organized.”  
“Hermione took Ginny and I to a Muggle store called IKEA. It’s fabulous. I love it. I go there often and I adore their catalogues.”   
Ernie couldn’t stop himself from laughing. “You in a Muggle shop? That has to be hilarious.”  
“Oh, it was the first time. But I got used to it. Now then, about Ms. Thomas. Does your office have any idea who would wish her harm?”  
Ernie shook his head. “Haven’t got a clue.”  
“Have you tried talking to Horace Slughorn? They were dating, you know.”  
Ernie shook his head again. “How do you know all this stuff? And yes, we’ve talked to him. We’re watching him very closely.”  
“I would. Horace isn’t a happy man these days. He came to my dad and asked him to do a profile on his life and career because The Daily Prophet turned him down. My dad turned him down too. Horace wanted to be paid a lot of money for the interview.”  
A light turned on in Ernie’s head at the sound of Horace’s would-be interview. “You say he wanted money?”  
Luna nodded. “Yes. A lot. Said he’s in a bit of a tight situation financially. But my dad doesn’t pay for interviews. Why does this sound familiar?”  
Ernie shot out of his chair. “Luna, when we interrogated Slughorn he said his late girlfriend, Ms. Thomas out there was also doing things for extra cash. He said it was because she lived beyond her means.” Hands on his hips, Ernie paced about the small office. “What if some of this has to do with money?”  
“You mean Alvira was murdered for money?”  
“No! I mean maybe she was trying to get money and someone didn’t like it. And now Horace is doing the same thing. It’s just a bit odd.”  
“Oh, I always found Horace Slughorn to be a bit strange,” Luna said in her usual, soft dreamy voice.  
Ernie couldn’t help but notice the irony of someone being even stranger than Luna Lovegood.   
“Thanks, Luna, I’ve gotta run. You’ve been a great help.”   
He could hear her saying good-bye as he dashed out of her office, down the corridor, and out onto the streets of London. Ernie knew just where to go.   
#  
Hermione lay still as possible while Healer Percy, the hospital’s acknowledged memory expert probed her mind with his wand. A concentrated grimace on his face, he strolled inside Hermione’s memories of her childhood, times with her parents, her early years at Hogwarts and even vacations with her parents. It wasn’t until he probed a particular memory of the early days in the war when he gave an audible gasp. “Yes! Yes! I see something now. There’s part of a memory right here. Remain very still Ms. Granger. Don’t move at all.” He continued to move his wand in small, delicate circles until he collapsed, utterly exhausted. “Now, what do you remember?”   
Hermione bolted upright. “I remember dancing at the Ministry. Lucius, I do.” She reached for him and he grabbed her hand immediately.  
“Oh, my love, that’s wonderful. Well, done, Healer Percy.”  
The elderly healer now 102 sank back into a comfortable chair and closed his eyes. “I’ll need a very big glass of wine this evening,” he said with a smile.  
“Me too,” Lucius agreed.   
“I guess wine is out for me?” Hermione tried her best to sound hopeful.  
“Sorry, but yes. While you’re in treatment it wouldn’t be wise.”   
“When can Hermione come home?”  
“Oh, I don’t know.” Percy stroked his neat beard. “I think it best she remain here until I can see where other memories are stored, or if they’re lost for good. Remember, we’ve only just begun.”  
“But when I do leave, where do I go?” Hermione asked herself out loud.  
“With me, of course,” Lucius said in a voice that told her he wanted no argument about the matter.  
“B…but?”  
“No arguments, my love. You come home with me. Crookshanks is waiting for you,” he laughed.   
“Oh, Crooks, I miss him. Wish you could bring him here.”  
Lucius sat at Hermione’s bedside. “I will.”   
“Well, get some rest, Ms. Granger, I’ll see you tomorrow.” Percy padded out of the room and away.   
“Do you want me to bring you anything from home? Some books, clothes, make-up, your personal things?” Lucius fixed her covers which had become quite unruly during the treatment with Healer Percy moving about the bed.   
“Anything and everything would be nice.” Hermione sat up and took Lucius’ hands. “I can’t imagine how hard this is for you, waking up one day and finding the woman you love to be an utter maniac with no memory of knowing you.”  
Lucius swallowed hard. “I’ve tried not to focus on me but on your recovery. It’s easier that way. Otherwise I just become so angry and I want to hurt the people who did this to us.”  
“Please, Lucius, promise me you won’t do anything rash that would get you thrown into Azkaban prison.”  
The sound of her voice and the sweetness in her plea pushed Lucius over the edge. He took her face in his hands and kissed her long and hard. When she moaned he realized what he’d done and pulled away. “Oh, shit! I’m sorry. Truly, Hermione, forgive me! It was your voice, the moment…”  
All of a sudden her joyous laughter rang out. “Calm down will you? You’re beginning to sound like me.” They both laughed and held each other as they did.   
#  
Horace Slughorn and Minerva McGonagall sat in the Headmisstress’ office. Minerva had poured them both a glass of wine and had been doing her best to calm Horace down over the last hour. “Are you feeling better?” she asked in a hopeful tone.  
“I guess so,” Horace replied ever eager to play up any malady he’d ever experienced. “It was terrible I tell you, just terrible.”  
“Yes, you’ve said so. Professor Slughorn, I suppose this isn’t the best time to have this conversation but maybe there is no good time.”  
Horace’s eyes widened and the glass in his hand shook a little. “What kind of conversation?” He put the glass down and hugged himself tightly.  
“Oh Horace, do be more mature than that. My goodness.” When he didn’t budget she continued. “I’m afraid the Board of Governors and I have decided it’s time for you to retire since…”  
“What?” Horace shrieked and slid out of his chair onto the floor. “No, no, no! You can’t do this to me. I’m a respected teacher here.” He sat on the floor and sobbed.  
“Horace!” Minerva yelled. “Get up at once!”  
At the sound of her uncharacteristic yelling Slughorn obeyed and sat back down, but he looked as frightened as a first year taking their exams.   
“It’s time, Horace. We need younger teachers who can engage the students. Now, you’ve been here a long time and we’ll see to it that you have a lovely retirement party, with a proper send-off.”  
“When?” Horace’s voice sounded small and scared.  
“End of this term.” Minerva’s voice sounded determined and unyielding.  
“You can’t do this to me. How will I live?” Horace pleaded with Minerva.   
“What? You’ve made a fantastic salary all these years. Last year alone we raised it to $60,000 galleons. You get free room and board. You must have money put away by now. You’ve got no wife or children to spend on.”  
Horace jumped out of his chair and stood close to try and challenge the Headmistress. “I need the money. I can’t retire right now, and that’s the end of it.” He turned around and tried to walk out of her office.   
“How dare you turn your back on me. Sit down at once!” she commanded.   
Horace turned around but didn’t budge. “I simply can’t retire. I can’t afford it.”  
“That’s your problem! If you’ve wasted your money then you’ve been foolish. But, don’t expect this school to keep on paying you because you didn’t know how to save your money. The decision is made, Horace. You will retire at the end of this term, and that’s the end of the discussion. Don’t make me repeat myself.” McGonagall sat back down and poured herself another glass of wine. She removed her spectacles, rubbed her eyes, and put them back on.   
“I see. This is Lucius’ doing isn’t it? He hates me.” Horace paced about the office like a horse trying to get out of the gate. “First, he turns down my niece, a perfectly lovely woman and now he has me fired. Well, I won’t forget this.” He started to leave but Minerva stopped him.  
“Horace Slughorn, turn around and look at me.”  
He did but kept a defiant smirk on his face.  
“It wasn’t Lucius’ decision. We all agreed on it. The board voted unanimously and I agreed with them. As to your niece, well I met the woman and lovely isn’t a term I would use to describe her, that’s for sure. Now, get out of my office as you’re making me incredibly angry.”  
Horace stormed out of the office. As he trudged down the various hallways towards his quarters he pushed students and other teachers out of the way, all the while mumbling to himself. “I’ll get Lucius if it’s the last thing I do,” he said to no one in particular.   
#  
Ginny and Harry lay quietly next to each other while their recently born son, now named Albus Severus slept close by. Harry’s eyes opened when he heard the door and saw Ernie walk in.   
“Oh, so sorry Harry, I couldn’t come earlier but I wanted to see how you and Ginny were getting on.”   
Harry nodded and silently indicated they’d meet out in the corridor. “Thanks for coming, Ernie. Ginny’s doing great and little Albus Severus is sleeping quietly. For now.” He yawned.  
“Well, I won’t keep you then.” Ernie began to walk away but Harry stopped him.   
“How’s the investigation going? Anything new?”  
Ernie nodded with a smile. Oh yes, I’ve got something new alright.”  
The two Aurors strolled down the hospital corridor their heads together.   
“That’s all very interesting,” Harry replied when Ernie completed his summary of recent events. “Keep watching Slughorn. He’s up to something and we both know it. I gotta go get some rest. Night Ern.”  
“Night Harry.” Ernie walked away with the knowledge for the first time he and Harry were actually working in complete synch together. He finally felt Harry’s respect and that was a great leap forward in Ernie’s life. He decided to head down to the cafeteria and get something to eat as his stomach told him that it was way past due for him to have a meal. As he did, he saw a lovely young healer sitting by herself and for no reason other than the desire for company he asked to join her. That is how Ernie McMillan met Sierra Manefield.   
“So, you’re an Auror? That must be really exciting,” Sierra said as she munched a chicken-cashew salad.   
“Um hmmm,” Ernie hummed as he bit into some fried chicken and mashed potatoes. “I love working with the Auror office. But, damn I’ve still got a lot to learn. Being on the job is nothing like the training.” He shook his head. “I can’t believe I just said that,” he laughed.  
“Why not?” Sierra asked as she sipped some organic apple juice.  
“Because. I was so full of myself when I started. I thought I knew so much. I didn’t. Still don’t. Always learning.”  
“I feel the same about being a healer. The training is one thing, but then working on real patients is a whole other universe.”  
The two laughed and toasted each other. “Cheers!” they said.   
#  
The pudgy arrogant woman and Horace Slughorn sat in a dark, quiet corner of a Muggle café. Horace’s face told the entire story. He’d spun a nasty tale of intrigue, bitterness, frustration and back-stabbing that would have made the Pirates of Penzance sound dull. “Lucius is behind all of it,” he spat as he downed his third fire whiskey.  
“Of that I have no doubt,” the witch said in wholly sympathetic tones. “The man is obviously under some sort of spell from that mudblood whore of his. She’s got him so wound up he doesn’t know what he’s doing. But we have a way to turn things around. We’re going to catch Lucius’ attention.”  
“How?” Slughorn stared at his empty glass. “You tried to erase her memories you said and that didn’t work.”  
“It worked. The problem is your stupid girlfriend didn’t complete the job.” The woman nibbled on a rich pastry as she spooned sugar into her tea.  
“Don’t speak of her like that. She’s dead,” he cried.   
“Get a hold of yourself, Horace. There are more fish in the sea.” She smoothed unseen wrinkles in her pink, tweed skirt and slithered a hand onto Horace’s arm.   
His eyes darted back and forth. “In here?”  
“For goodness sakes, of course not. We’ll go upstairs. I’ve reserved a room. Afterwards, we’ll have a frank discussion about how we can refresh Lucius’ memory as to just what kind of woman we expect him to be with.”  
Horace followed the short, squat woman up the stairs and into a private room. Within minutes she’d undressed and lay naked on the bed. “Horace! What’re you waiting for? Get over here at once.”  
And he did. But, he kept his eyes closed the entire time.


	5. CHAPTER 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So sorry for the long delay, as real life intervenes and I'm getting ready to publish my first novel. In this chapter, there is a lot of backstory, but it ends on a dramatic note to give you a sense of where it's going. Please review.

Harry and Ernie sat in the Auror’s office. Harry stirred the same cup of tea over and over, while Ernie traced patterns on his desk with his index finger. Every few minutes they would look up hopeful that one or the other had made some sort of discovery in their case.   
“I suspect that Slughorn’s using some kind of glamour on himself so that he won’t be followed. He knows we’re onto him,” Ernie said glumly.   
“Yeah, I expect you’re right.” Harry squeezed his eyes shut and then re-opened them. He wiped his face with his palms and leaned back in his chair.   
“You should go home, Harry. It’s 5:30 and we’re not going to come up with anything today. I’m sure Ginny would appreciate you being home for supper.”  
Harry shook his head. “I’m not so sure. I just feel like I’m in the way. Molly, Angelina, and Fleur are all fussing over Ginny and the baby. Whenever I even poke my head in the room they stare at me as if I’ve transformed into a Death Eater. I don’t know what to do. It’s worse than when James was born.”  
Ernie guffawed. “Ha! That must be quite a scene. The Head Auror being pushed out by his bossy mother-in-law and sisters-in-law.”   
Even Harry couldn’t help himself. He laughed at the thought as he put on his wool coat and scarf.   
“By the way, Harry, do you know much about that young Healer who works so closely with Hermione? Her name’s Sierra.   
“Hmmm, I know who you’re talking about. Sorry, don’t know much about her thought. Why?” Harry’s eyebrows raised slightly.  
“Well we met the other day at St. Mungo’s and….”  
“And…”  
“And, well she seems really nice. I thought I’d ask her out.”  
“Great! Go for it. If she’s a friend of Hermione’s then she’s terrific.” Harry blew out air. “Now, I have to go brave the Weasley clan and see if I can have a moment with my wife.” Harry waved and walked out the door.   
“Good luck,” Ernie called after him. 

#  
“Well, Ms. Granger, I can safely say you’ve made a full recovery.” The healer smiled as he stood back and surveyed Hermione being embraced by Lucius.   
“Thank you so much,” she beamed.   
Lucius jumped off the bed and embraced the healer in a full-on bear hug. “Thank you so much!”   
“Well, uh…yes, uh…sure…glad to help…uh … Mr. Malfoy,” the healer sputtered.  
Lucius quickly moved back to Hermione’s side. “My love, this means you can come home. To our home. Can I take her home tonight?”  
“I don’t see why not,” the healer smiled.   
Hermione nodded and Lucius couldn’t grab her things fast enough to pull her out of the hospital and get her back home.   
“Lucius, do the Aurors have any clues as to who did this?”  
For a brief moment, Lucius stopped and looked pensive as he sat down. “No,” he said in a defeated voice. “They’re no closer to finding out who did this now then when you first came into the hospital. They suspect Horace Slughorn has something to do with it but can’t prove anything.”   
Hermione’s face contorted in sheer surprise. “Horace Slughorn? Oh, Lucius, that’s impossible. He’s one of the most mild-mannered people I’ve ever met.” She laughed as she slapped his shoulder.   
“My love, you may be right, but he’s very angry at me and he blames me for the loss of his job. The Board of Governors decided some time ago that we need some younger professors who can better relate to the students. And, Horace is getting on in years. So, he was given the news and blamed me for the entire situation.” He shrugged as if to say it was inevitable.   
“That’s ridiculous.” She sat down beside him and laid her head on his shoulder. “But why would he be so angry? He knew he’d have to retire some day.”  
“He told Minerva that he needs the money,” Lucius said in a matter of fact tone.   
“What?” Hermione shrieked so loud she even shocked herself. “Sorry. But how can he need the money? He has no dependents and he’s been working for years. In fact, he retired once already.”  
Lucius scooped Hermione up and held her close so he could see the beautiful brown eyes he loved so much. “I honestly don’t know. But to add to the mystery, he was dating the Healer who was recently found dead.”   
“Who’s that?”  
“Alvira Thomas?”  
“Oh no! She’s dead? What happened?” Hermione leaned into Lucius’ chest. “This is horrible,” she whispered.   
“Indded,” he sighed as he held her close.   
#  
Horace sat in the over-stuffed chair in his living room and surveyed his surroundings. He’d always been a frugal man. Most would have described him as blatantly cheap. He only spent money when he needed to, and wore the same suits and robes until they could barely hold together. His furniture had been handed down from generation to generation and was well over a century old. The threadbare chair and chesterfield barely looked respectable any longer. The small cottage contained no art, although there were dozens of photographs with famous and respected witches and wizards. To Horace they were the testament to his success in the academic world. Yet, here he sat all alone, with barely a galleon to his name, and a lead suspect in a murder/kidnapping case. To add to his horror and shame he’d slept with her. That horrible toad of a woman.   
Horace shook his head at the memory which he pulled from his mind and deposited in a small vial. He didn’t want to ever think of last evening again. She’d been bossy, rude, demanding and flabby all over. The thought of her fat stomach plopping all over him and her cruel blue eyes leaning into his face were enough to make him sick to his stomach. How did he get into this situation? How had he allowed himself to be pulled into this nefarious scheme?   
For the first time in years Horace cried. He sat in his old chair and sobbed. There was no way out now but to go to the Aurors and begged for mercy. All he could think of was that Harry would be kind to him and understand that he’d helped him when he needed. He had fought valiantly in the Battle of Hogwarts, stood by the Order when they asked him to, and never betrayed his community – until now. All for the love of a woman. Alvira Thomas. They’d met over a year ago when there was an outbreak of the Lagalian Flu – a terrible strain which made it difficult for Madam Pomfrey to treat everyone at the school, so Horace had gone to St. Mungo’s. He stayed there for five days as he recovered. That’s when he met Alvira. The two had hit it off immediately. They clearly enjoyed each other’s company and Horace found himself completely besotted with the attractive, bright healer.   
Unfortunately, Horace didn’t know Alvira’s background, or her love of expensive things. She wanted to dine in the best restaurants, attend plays in the best theatres, and begged Horace to travel with her during the summer break. For the first time in his life, Horace stopped looking at the balance in his bank account. All he could think of was pleasing Alvira. And, the more he gave her, the more she wanted. Alvira had a taste for everything glamorous and beautiful. Once he and Alvira were involved there was no going back. Then, he found out the truth about many aspects of Alvira’s life. He didn’t want to lose her. He wasn’t going to lose her. But, what would he do to keep her?   
#  
Lucius gathered Hermione into his arms as they crossed the threshold into his townhouse. Once he put her down they practically raced each other into the bedroom. Neither of them could hold back any longer. Lucius practically ripped his clothes off, and Hermione did the same. They threw themselves onto the bed and onto each other. The two ravished each other with kisses, hugs and licking every part of each other’s bodies. Lucius couldn’t wait as his raging erection propelled him to spread Hermione’s legs and enter the place where he longed to be. Inside of the woman he loved. He loved how wet, warm and welcoming she always was for him. He thrust inside her with all of his passion and energy. The two rocked each other as they traded places being on top and on the bottom until they orgasmed with great relief.   
“Ooooooohhh that felt good,” Hermione whispered.   
“Fuck me, but that felt fantastic,” Lucius sighed.   
They turned over and held each other tightly. “I’m never letting you get away again you little witch,” he soothed.   
“Not to worry, I’m not going anywhere,” she laughed.   
Just then Aramus, Lucius’ eagle owl tapped urgently on the window.   
“Looks like someone wants your attention.”  
“Well, only for a minute, because I plan to ravish you again. So, don’t move,” he laughed.   
Lucius wrapped a sheet around himself and opened the window to let Aramus in. He grabbed the message from the owl’s foot and read. Lucius dropped the message onto the floor and then sagged against the wall. His eyes told Hermione the story. Tears formed at their edges and all the colour had drained from his face.   
“What is it?” Hermione demanded.  
Lucius stood in silence but said nothing. Hermione ran to him and picked up the message.   
Lucius Malfoy:   
You have been deemed a traitor to our wizarding community. Because you continue to flaunt your relationship with the mudblood Granger, we have decided to take firmer action. Your son Draco is now with us. We can’t promise that no harm will come to him because he may have to pay for his father’s sins. Don’t try to contact us, we will contact you when we’re ready. It’s too bad you didn’t pay attention to us the first time.   
The Restorationists


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is the final chapter in a very short story. My apologies for taking so long but real life has intervened. This is a kind of fantasy chapter for me, the things I would like to have seen happened. A lovely ending.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just to let everyone know my first novel has been published which is why I haven't been able to finish this until now. As well, I'm fundraising for my first film, so please pm me if you'd like to know more.

Chapter 6  
Hermione and Lucius sat in the Auror’s office along with Harry and Ernie. A clock ticked off the seconds as the agonizing wait continued. Finally, two Aurors poked their heads in and declared: “We found him, sir. Just as you expected, he was packing his things and trying to flee to who knows where.”   
A huge smile crossed Harry and Ernie’s faces. “Excellent work. Now, let’s get some information.”   
As Harry and Ernie prepared to leave Lucius grabbed onto Harry’s shoulders. “Thank you.” The proud, pureblood wizard’s crestfallen face and stooped shoulders told Harry everything.   
“Don’t thank me yet, Lucius. But you will, I promise.”   
A few moments later Harry and Ernie entered the familiar interrogation room. Horace Slughorn sat there alone his face beet-red with shame. His eyes darted from one Auror to the other, and shaking hands tried to grasp a glass of water but failed. The two Aurors took their time as they sat down, pretended to sort out papers and photographs along with a vial of veritaserum.   
“Now then,” Harry began. “I understand you were preparing to leave. Why’s that Slughorn?”  
“I…I…j…just…c..c..could use a vacation. I..I was just sacked you know.” Tears pooled at the edges of his large, brown eyes.   
“Oh, please. Stop with the waterworks,” Ernie exclaimed. “And you weren’t sacked. You have been retired. It happens to everyone. But we happen to know you begged Professor McGonagall to keep you on for financial reasons.”  
“All t…t…too true,” Horace admitted.  
Harry pushed his chair back hard. “I’m tired of these games Slughorn. Hermione’s memory was obliviated, the Healer you dated was murdered, and now Draco Malfoy’s been abducted. Who’s doing this. And don’t give me any of your crap! I’m sick of it and I’m sick of you and your lies. We both know you’re not telling us everything you know. So, here’s the deal, professor, either you tell us what you know right now or three drops of veritaserum will ensure you do. You’ve got ten seconds.”  
“H…H…Harry, you were my student, and…”  
“Ten, nine, eight, seven…”  
“All right. All right! It’s Umbridge you want. Dolores Umbridge,” Horace screamed and cried all at once. “Why, why did I get involved with that horrible woman?” He continued blubbering while Harry and Ernie smiled at each other and simultaneously rolled their eyes.   
“So Umbridge is the head of these Restorationists?” Ernie pumped him for more.  
“Not exactly, no. It’s the Zabinis you want. They’re the head of everything.”   
“And they have Draco?” Harry sat forward and pressed close to Slughorn’s wet face.  
“I’m sure of it. Yes.”   
“And where are they?” Ernie yelled. “Tell us now! Otherwise it’s Azkaban for you.”  
“No, no, please, don’t say that. I’ll be ruined.”  
“Oh for crap sakes, Slughorn, you’re already ruined. Here’s the deal. I know it was you who told Voldemort about the horcruxes. I think you know where they’ve taken him. If you don’t tell us right now, then I’ll leak that story to The Daily Prophet.” Harry sat back, a self-satisfied smirk on his face.  
“I don’t know. I swear!” More tears escaped Slughorn’s eyes and he shook harder than a frightened Hippogriff.   
Without warning, Harry pulled out his wand and aimed it at Horace’s forehead. “Legilimens!” Inside Horace’s weakened mind he saw everything; in particular, a small cottage near the town of Cornwall. “I have them!” he shouted. He grabbed Ernie and they bolted.   
#  
Blasts of magical light in red, green, blue and white flashed from the Aurors’ wands. Inside the small cottage, the Zabinis – mother and son, along with Dolores Umbridge had been subdued. They quickly found Draco tied to a chair and released him.   
“Are you alright?” Harry asked with genuine concern.   
Draco shook his head but it was clear he wasn’t.   
“I want two Aurors to take Draco to St. Mungo’s now. The rest of us will clean up this mess.”   
One Hour Later  
Dolores Umbridge sat in the interrogation room formerly inhabited by Horace Slughorn. Dressed in her familiar favourite pinks she sat with a smug expression on her face as if nothing was wrong, and once again she would escape justice. Harry and Ernie sat across from their former professor, a woman they both hated with zeal.   
“Well, Ms. Umbridge, this isn’t a good situation for you,” Ernie said in a quiet, calm tone.   
“I’m not saying anything until my solicitor arrives. So you can threaten all you like but I assure you I’ve done nothing wrong.”  
“Hmmmm. Brave words. You see, Dolores, the war changed many things in magical Britain. One of these changes is the power of the Aurors in extreme situations. Anyone found to have anything to do with groups that wish to overthrow the government, or be connected in any way to the former Death Eaters do not have the same rights as others. We are allowed to interrogate you until your solicitor arrives.”  
“Go ahead, I’ll say nothing.” The former professor pulled a pink hanky from her pink purse and blew her nose. “I wouldn’t mind a cup of tea,” she said as if she was ordering in a restaurant.   
“Would you now?” Ernie smiled. “Well, then go to a café or a restaurant and order one!”  
“How dare you speak to me like this? The two of you will regret the day you did this.” Her eyes shot daggers at the two Aurors, neither of whom were scared by her silly tactics.   
The door opened, and her solicitor, Mr. Joseph Ledbittle strolled in. He was a tall, skinny man whose frame looked as if it could hardly hold him up. His grey suit was clearly for a much smaller man. The arms were too short, and the trousers ended well before his ankles. He had a rubicund face with a proud beak for a nose. His unibrow covered dark, shifty eyes. “Well then, Aurors Potter and McMillan, what is my client charged with?”  
“Happy to answer that, Mr. Ledbittle. But, before I do, I just want to make certain that you’re actually still able to practice law?”  
“I beg your pardon?” His scratchy, squeaky voice served as quite a surprise.   
“Well, you’ve been charged twice with improper procedures. Have those been resolved?” Ernie knew they had but wanted Ledbittle and Umbridge to know they were clear as to whom they were dealing with.   
“Yes, quite resolved.”   
“Good. So, here are the charges: serving as a member of an illegal organization (aka the Restorationists), murder of Healer Thomas, abduction of Draco Malfoy and torture of Draco Malfoy. Now, before you begin some silly little speech, please know we have Draco Malfoy and he has given us a full statement, as has Horace Slughorn. So, we know that Ms. Umbridge is de facto guilty of all charges.”  
“Oh dear,” Ledbittle said.   
“That’s it?” Umbridge squealed. “Do something! I’m Dolores Umbridge. I was the senior…”  
The sound of Ledbittle’s chair scraping across the floor shocked his foolish client. “Sorry, Dolores can’t help here. Best to admit and ask for mercy. Excuse me gentlemen, I’ll be off.” And, that was the last Harry and Ernie ever saw of Mr. Ledbittle.   
“What now?” Dolores squeaked. “What do you want? I’ll give you everything.   
“Excuse us for a minute,” Harry said. He grabbed Ernie and they walked out. “You realize she might be able to give us all the names?  
“Yes, for sure,” Ernie agreed. “But, if so, then we have to give something in return. We can’t give her the Dementor’s kiss.”  
“Oh, I’ve got something else in mind,” Harry winked. “Just follow my lead.”  
“Well, Dolores, here’s what’s going to happen. You’re going to give us the names of everyone involved, what they did, and when they did it. And for that, we’ll prevent you from getting the Dementor’s kiss.”  
“Oh, I can give you more than that, Auror Potter,” she offered a sickly smile.   
“Such as?”  
“The murderer of Narcissa Malfoy.”   
Harry used all his powers of control not to jump or scream. He’d waited for this for a long time. “Alright. No prison then.”  
“What? Harry you know what this woman’s done!” Ernie couldn’t believe Harry would let Umbridge get off yet again.   
“No prison. I mean it. Who was it? And you better have proof.”  
“Oh, I have proof, and it was the Zabinis. You see they hated the truth about Malfoy when it came out. They thought he was a true Voldemort supporter as they were. But when they learned the truth they were determined to hurt him in any way they could. I’ll write down all the details.”  
“Fine. You do that.”   
One Hour Later  
Harry and Ernie read the highly detailed accounts produced by Umbridge. They both knew she was telling the truth. The details were too specific. Harry ran his hands through his hair and adjusted his glasses. “Thank you. These are the missing pieces.”  
“Excellent.” Umbridge rubbed her toad-like nose with her pink hanky then neatly folded it back into her pocked. “I’ll be leaving now.” She stood up but Harry stopped her with a quick flick of his wand and she fell back down into her chair.   
“What’s the meaning of this? You promised me freedom,” she screamed.   
“Did I? I’m quite sure I didn’t. After all, Ernie was right here. Did I ever say the word freedom?”  
Ernie’s smile and subsequent hearty laugh brightened Harry’s day. And his heart. He knew he’d found an investigative partner for life.   
“No, Auror Potter, I never heard the word freedom.”  
“You see, Umbridge, I said no prison. But there are other ways to punish people. And you will be punished. You must be. First, you will never again use a wand. Second, you will never again be allowed to work in a teaching or ministerial position. Third, you will perform what the Muggles call ‘community service’ for the rest of your life. You will live and work at Hogwarts as a servant and be under the supervision of the Elves. You will peel potatoes, wash floors, clean toilets, and anything else they tell you to do. You will work six days a week. You will have one day off. But on that day, you will stay in the room you share with other servants, with no windows. You will not be allowed on the grounds. You will not be allowed in Diagon Alley. You will be confined to the walls of Hogwarts for the rest of your life. And, finally, your clothes will be black or grey and you are forbidden to use the colour pink!”  
As Harry and Ernie walked down the hall outside the interrogation room they heard a   
loud shriek; “Noooooooooooooo!”   
They smiled at each other.   
#  
Harry and Ernie walked in to see Draco sitting up and smiling. Lucius and Hermione were on either side of the bed holding his hands. Harry took Lucius’ hand and led him out into the corridor. He delivered the news as gently as he could. The mystery of Narcissa’s murder had finally been solved.   
“What will happen to the Zabinis?” Lucius asked.   
“Both will receive the Dementor’s kiss. It’s no less than they deserve.”  
“Yes. And Umbridge?” After Harry relayed the sentence he’d designed for Umbridge, Lucius laughed so loud the tears ran down his cheeks.   
More laughter ensued in Draco’s room when he told the story yet again.   
#  
One Week Later   
Lucius and Hermione walked hand in hand into the kitchens of Hogwarts. Most of the Elves knew Hermione and revered her for her fight to win respect in the wizarding world. There they found Dolores Umbridge, former Senior Under-secretary, former Headmistress, former professor and now a servant. Dressed in a black shift with a black apron, black stockings, and black shoes, she was covered head to toe in baking flour. Her hands bore the scars and scrapes of her manual labour.   
“Oh, Miss Umbridge, we thought we might find you here,” Lucius said in a bright voice. “We wanted to share good news.”   
Unable to resist Umbridge turned around. Her grim expression told the story of her new life. “What do you want from me? Can’t you see I’ve already been shamed in the worst way possible?”  
“No less than you deserve,” Hermione said in a cheerful voice. “But yes, Lucius and I have such wonderful news. You see, he’s asked me to marry him, and I’ve said yes!”  
The shriek that emanated from Umbridge’s lungs sounded well beyond the kitchens. “Nooooooooooooooooooo!”  
Hermione and Lucius ignored her. Lucius folded her into his broad, muscular arms and gave her a passionate kiss. “I love you,” he said.  
“Well that’s good news, because I love you too”   
They kissed again while Umbridge flopped onto her working stool which promptly broke and so she landed on her ass. Exactly where she belonged.   
Lucius and Hermione walked out as she laid her head on his shoulders. “I don’t suppose we should tell her we’re trying for a baby?” Lucius laughed.   
“Oh no, that would be cruel. Besides, we’ll save that for another time.”   
They walked off down the corridors of Hogwarts with the future fully ahead of them.   
The End


End file.
